EIGHTY YEARS OF ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY IN CROATIA AND IN SESTRE MILOSRDNICE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CENTRE

Abstract

In 1937, Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini performed electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) in Rome for the first time. That was the time when different types of 'shock therapy' were performed; beside ECT, insulin therapies, cardiazol shock therapy, etc. were also performed. In 1938, Cerletti and Bini reported the results of ECT. Since then, this method has spread rapidly to a large number of countries. As early as 1940, just two years after the results of the ECT had been published, it was also introduced in Croatia, at Sestre milosrdnice Hospital, for the first time in our hospital and in the then state of Yugoslavia. Since 1960, again the first in Croatia and the state, we performed ECT in general anesthesia and continued it down to the present, with a single time brake.

Keywords: Croatia; Electroconvulsive therapy; General anesthesia; History; Hospital.

Fig. 1

Photograph from the 1960s when electroconvulsive therapy was performed under general anesthesia at Department of Psychiatry, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Centre. In the foreground is the Siemens Convulsator 622, used at the Department since the 1950s, while an older Siemens model was used before.

Fig. 2

Anesthesia chart from the 1960s.

Fig. 3

Electroconvulsive therapy application chart from the 1960s.

Fig. 4

Temperature sheet from the 1960s showing concomitant use of pharmacotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy.